PM to dedicate NTPC`s Chhattisgarh power plant to nation

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will dedicate NTPC`s Sipat thermal power plant in Chhattisgarh to the nation on Thursday and lay the foundation stone of the first stage of the company`s planned Lara project in the state.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will dedicate NTPC`s Sipat thermal power plant in Chhattisgarh to the nation on Thursday and lay the foundation stone of the first stage of the company`s planned Lara project in the state.

"Prime Minister will dedicate NTPC`s 2,980 MW Sipat thermal power station to the nation and lay the foundation stone of the company`s Lara power project in Chhattisgarh," NTPC said in a statement.

Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt, state Chief Minister Raman Singh, Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and NTPC Chairman Arup Roy Choudhury are among the dignitaries expected to attend the program, according to the statement.

The Lara project will have two units of 800 MW each in the first stage, which is estimated to cost Rs 11,741 crore, and an ultimate installed capacity of 4,000 MW.

According to the preliminary agreement between the Chhattisgarh government and NTPC, the state will get 50 percent of the power to be generated at the Lara project, while the remainder will be sold to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

NTPC has an installed capacity of 10,840 MW in the region, with thermal plants operating at Vindhyachal (4,260 MW) in Madhya Pradesh, Korba (2,600 MW) and Sipat (2,980 MW) in Chhattisgarh and Mauda (1,000 MW) in Maharashtra.

New projects with a total capacity of 7,160 MW are coming up at Lara, Barethi, Khargone and Gadarwara in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the statement added.